Think all talk radio involves two political pundits yelling at each other? Think again.
"Ridin' Dirty" is a show which broadcasts on KNFX radio in Los Angeles.
It's the only radio show in America dedicated to the issues surrounding drunk driving.
The show's official Web site, duiradioshow.com, said "Ridin' Dirty" was created by Ken Sharp.
Sharp's experience as a behavioral health technician in Scottsdale, Ariz., convinced him to work toward creating public service initiatives to educate and prevent instances of drunken driving.
Sharp, a Mississippi State University graduate, has targeted Auburn's Toomer's Ten transit system to showcase Alabama as a part of the show's "50 Shows in 50 States: Drinking and Driving Across America" series.
Sharp said he wanted to use his show and the power of radio to create a new way for the public to discuss drunk driving and the life-altering consequences
"I remember when I was in college and a Mississippi state trooper pulled me over," Sharp said. "I had been going 80 miles an hour with a case of beer in the passenger seat, a case in my lap and an open can in my hand. He told me to pour it out and then wrote me a speeding ticket."
The show was tested in Phoenix, Ariz., beginning June 1, 2007.
After six months of positive feedback, it was relaunched in Los Angeles to an overwhelming response.
Segments such as trivia and a "cocktail quiz," as well as a sponsorship by Jack Daniel's, have made the show accessible to a broad audience.
It is aired on the same station that carries the LA Angels of Anaheim games which brought the show into the national consciousness when pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver in April.
Sharp said an Internet search turned up the article about the Toomer's Ten buses from the Aug. 27 issue of The Auburn Plainsman.
"I guess that the story would attract his attention because it's kind of the opposite of what you would expect a school to do," said Michael Evans, a freshman in chemical engineering. "A student here can drink and not have to worry about it how he's going to get home. It makes it to where there really is no excuse to drive drunk."
Sharp recalled his time as a college student in the Southeastern Conference to inform and relate to his audience.
"Behavior has changed with the police, but it has stayed the same with everyone else," Sharp said. "When it's football time in Auburn people are going to be tailgating, bust out some more alcohol after the game and then get on the road, but it's the drunk drivers who are being arrested and not underage drunk people. One thing leads to another."
The show broadcasts from 11 a.m. to noon PST on KFNX radio and can be listened to live on the show's official Web site.
The segment featuring Auburn aired Wednesday, Sept. 9.
Sharp said the creation of the Toomer's Ten indicates authorities' not wanting to be forced to make arrests while also providing a practical method of transportation on traffic-heavy nights in Auburn.
"Thirty years ago this sort of thing would have been unheard of in the SEC," Sharp said. "It's great that Auburn has created a solution-based opportunity."
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